Shirt-pressing machine



' Oct. 9, 1928.

c. B. KILBY ET AL SHIRT PRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 8, 1926 a): o INVENTO A TTORNEYS Oct. 9, 1928.

c. B. K ILBY ET AL SHIRT PRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 8, 1926 I W- 11 BY a. 6'

/ ATTORNEYS I possible to iron the Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES B. KILBY AND MAURICE REINITZ, OF BROOKLYN, AND ALBERT B. CLISSON, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO THE PROSPERITY COMPANY, INC., 01 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed January This invention relates to pressing machines, and particularly coat shirts or garments that are fastened or buttoned down the front, and are open the full length thereof.

The invention consists in the particularly simple and efiicient arrangement of the ironing surfaces whereby a damp garment can be stretched, and held stretched on the buck, and all thewrinkles removed, or the garment so stretched that all the wrinkles are removed during the pressing operation, and none pressed into folds.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this inventionreference is had to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the buck of the pressing machine embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of such machine.

Figure 3 is a plan view similar to Figure 1 showing a shirt on the lower buck, and a fragmentary portion of the press head in its position assumed during the pressing operation.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the buck with a neck band clamp omitted for pressing the backs of shirts or blouses, and the like.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the buck.

Figure 6 is a detail View of the tail holder shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 3 of a lower buck for ironing the back of shirts with the shirt thereon, a fragment of the press head being also shown.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, the pressing of articles such as coat shirts, especially when damp as they come from the extractor is diificult as when in such damp or wet condition, the articles must be smoothed out by stetching them on the buck and held in such stretched position until the pressing operation begins. sing machines heretofore used it has not been entire front and back including the tails. Therefore, one of the objects of this invention is the provision of a buck for such pressing machines, that is platen presses, by which articles such as coat shirts can be stretched when in damp condition so that when pressed there are no wrinkles or creases. I

The pressing machine comprises, generally, cooperating pressing elements one of which is Furthermore in the pres-' SHIRT-PRESSING MACHINE.

s, 1926. Serial 1%. 80,081.

movable toward and from the other, and one being a buck and the other a press head, one of these elements being rectangular in general form and having cut'outs at the shoulder corners thereof so that the shoulder portions of the shirt are not pressed when the front or the back is pressed and do not interfere with the stretching of the shirt on the buck. The pressing of the sleeves and shoulders is done on another machine or in another operation. Either one or the other or both of the pressing elements may be formed with the shoulder cut outs but preferably the lower buck is so formed as theshoulder cut outs on the lower buck also facilitate the stretching of the shirt,- or a damp shirt, on the buck. However the upper buck is also formed with cut outs, but when the lower buck is so formed with the shoulder cut outs, those in the upper buck are not of importance. Also the press head is preferably of greater area than the buck, that is the margins of the press head extend beyond the margins of the buck. In machines for ironing shirt fronts the buck is formed with a neck band holder or clamp and in machines for ironing the backs the buck is not provided with such neck band holder or clamp.

In machines of this type usually the buck is stationary and the head movable toward and from the buck. The machine may be of any suitable form, size, and construction, andforming an extension of the rear leg 8 of the machine. The head is carried at the front end ofathe yoke or lever 5 and the counterbalancing weight 9 is carried by a rear arm of said lever.

The yoke or lever 5 is actuated by any suitable mechanism, here shown as toggle mechanism designated by the numeral 10, which is actuated from a cam shaft 11, the latter being in turn actuated by an electric motor 12. The operation of the toggle mechanism or the shaft 11 by the motor 12 is controlled bya handle 13. The. pressing machine per se forms no part of this invention only in sofar as the pressing operation of a pressing machine is considered different from that front and tail of She then done without straining the shoulders.

of an ironing board, and the ironing operation of a platen in pressing machines differs from sliding of an iron on an ironing board. In pressing machines the shape of a buck or head is of vital importance,-and of no importance in the ironing boards where the wrinkles are smoothed out by the sliding action of the iron. The goose neck 3 is here shown as mounted at the extreme end of the buck in order that the entire front or back of the shirt, including the tail may be ironed at one operation. In other words the location of the goose neck permits the buck to be so supported that the entire shirt front or shirt back. can be laid upon the buck.

The buck is rectangular in general form and is provided with cutouts 14 at the shoulders, and also with a neck band clamp or holder 15 at one end thereof. Also the end of the buck at which the neck band holder 15 is located is tapered and the shoulder cutouts '14 are located at the base or inner end of'the tapered portion, that is, the ends toward the middle part of the buck. The buck is also provided with the usual padding 16. The neck band holder or clamp may be of any suitable form, size and construction to hold the neck band while the shirt is being pulled or stretched on the buck, that is this neck .band holder is merely an anchor to pull against. The head 2 is formed with a cutout or recess 17 for receiving the neck band holds"? when the head 2 is in pressing position, and also with shoulder cutouts 18. The head 2 is also of greater area than the buck 1, that is its margins 19 extend beyond the edges of the buck. i

the neck' band holder, or remote from the shouldercutouts, that is it is located below the pressing surface of'the buck 1 or is enibedded in the padding 16. I 7

When a shirt or blouse is in normal position, that is a position assumed when being worn, the .front edges lap, but when being pressed in order to press both front edges,they cannot be lapped during the pressing opera: tion, and therefore in order to press or iron the coat shirt, it must be stretched on a buck in an abnormal position. IVhen pressing the front of the shirt, the operator,- after fastenwithout buttoning it, but with its ends spaced apart on the neck band holder, pulls on the the shirt, first pulling with her hands in line ing out any wrinkles in the edges of the shirt. pulls on the tail ortions of the shirt against the'end edges of the buck adjacent to the collar band holder, and owing to the shoulder cutouts such pulling can be After by the holder belng so stretched the tail is pressed hands in engagement with the tail with the edges, thus stretchand owing to the location of the tail stretcher the entire shirt front or' blouse can be arranged on the buck in position to be pressed. The machine is then actuated and the press head comes down on the buck. Owing to the cutouts 1.41 in the buck, the shoulders are not pressed. In so far as this function is concerned, the cutouts in the buck facilitate the proper stretching of the shirt front or back on the buck. Owing to the margins 19 of the head extending beyond those of the buck, the shirt is completely-ironed to the extreme edges of the buck. The back of the shirt IS ironed in the same way on a buck shown in Figure 7, in which'the buckis not provided, with the collar band holder. 7

The backs of the shirt are ironed in the same way as the fronts, but'no tail holder 1s v necessary as there are no edges similar to the front edges of the shirt tobe held stretched and the ironing operation ismerely an ordi:

nary flattened one.

In Figure?) a shirt is shown as stretched on the buck, andvits position assumed when-the front is being ironed, and'in Figure 7 the baclg is shown on the buck in position to be pressed. Owing to the shape of the buck 1 a damp shirt can be quickly arranged thereon and the wrinkles removed preliminarily to the pressiplg, operation, and owing to the location of t e back of a shirt including the tails can be pressed. The tail holder 21 is spring pressed and comprises a stri 22 extending transversely of the buck wit its working face sub-' tail holder practically the entire front or stantially flush with that of the buck or the I padding thereon so that the tail of the shirt can be readily caught onto the tail holder-- when the shirt is lying on the buck, the tail holder being embedded in'the padding of the buck or located in a channel formed in the padding. The strip 22 is formed with up wardly extending prongs of comparatively fine wire and is usually a piece of carding. The strip 22 is held in i back 23 which is supported by springs 24.

springs 24 encircle rods or bolts 25 extending throughlugs 26 on the buck 'and portions ofthe backin ich end portions 5 through the end thevstrip 22, wh yond the front and rear edges of the buck. The upper ends of the bolts extend above the b p h face plf-the buck in-ordei to eengage yt e-over an in mar so the head as the head is being; bl oughi d own for onto the buck,but be'fore'the head comes completely down onto the buck, thus the bolts 25 and hence the back'23' and strip 22 are depressed so that the prongs on-the st- 22 are carried out of the fabric of the shirt. V

WVhat we claim is i A pressing machine for pressing coats, shirts and the like, comprising pressing elements, one having relative movement toward and from the other, one of said elements being exten be-,

a buck and the other a press head; and the signed our names in the borough of Brooklyn, head and the buck being of oblong form, said city, county and State of New York, this 21st buck having a tapered end portion provided day of November, 1925. with means for holding a neck band and hav- 5 ing at the inner end of the tapered portion cut CHARLES B. KILBY. outs at the shoulder corners of the buck. MAURICE BEINITZQ In testimony whereof, We have hereunto ALBERT B. CLISSON. 

